National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said Thursday it resumed project construction activities for the San Simon 230-kiloVolt substation project in Pampanga province with the lifting of the closure order from the local government unit.
The closure order was lifted at 9:40 a.m. on Oct. 24, after San Simon Mayor Abundio Punsalan Jr. approved the resumption of the construction.
NGCP and the local government of San Simon resolved the matter with the assistance of Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda and vice governor Lilia Pineda.
“NGCP is grateful for the Provincial Government’s swift action on this. Both the Governor and Vice Governor made it clear that NGCP and its projects have its full support,” NGCP said.
The company said all the requirements were submitted to the LGU, and the permits were issued before project implementation.
“Power and water are the most basic and critical of needs. We are lucky that NGCP is building this facility to support the rapid development of Pampanga and the rest of the country,” said Lilia Pineda.
The San Simon 230-kV substation project was certified as an Energy Project of National Significance by the Department of Energy in 2019. It aims to reinforce the reliability and stability of power transmission services in the Luzon grid by serving as an alternate source for customers connected to the existing Mexico Substation.
“We welcome NGCP and the power stability it brings to the province in support of investors locating here,” said Dennis Pineda
NGCP earlier warned that customers in Pampanga might face transmission service reliability issues if the closure pushed through.
“Without this substation, the reliability of transmission services in the Pampanga area is threatened, and power interruptions are a real possibility,” NGCP said.
NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s power grid. It is led by majority shareholders and vice chairman of the board Henry Sy Jr. and co-vice chairman Robert Coyiuto Jr. It is the sole operating asset of Synergy Grid and Development Philippines Inc.